Tragedy at Le Mans

June 11, 1955 - Today was the deadliest crash ever in motorsports history. It happened during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Pierre Levegh was driving a Mercedes 300 SLR which collided with an Austin-Healey and went airborne.

The Mercedes slammed into an embankment, burst into flames and disintegrated. Huge pieces of flaming debris then somersaulted across the crowd of spectators.

84 people died, including Levegh, and 120 spectators were seriously injured.

In the aftermath of the disaster, Mercedes pulled out of auto racing for the next thirty years. It also led to significant changes in safety regulations for the drivers and spectators.